FRIDAY, MARCH 25, 2016 4 — THE BAKER COUNTY PRESS Opinion — Editorial — Only in Baker City When we post news on our Facebook feed, so often we read in response to the slow speed horse pursuits, the drug ar- rests, the assaults, “Only in Baker City,” or “What’s happening to this town?” Wednesday we were able to browse through a police scrapbook that Chief Lohner offered up to us this week—a scrapbook fi lled with articles from the 1950s primarily. Upon reading it, it’s safe to say that Baker City’s newsworthy action is very similar to what it has always been. We saw old articles of City Council members resigning en masse. There was a shoot- ing, a house fi re, a few scuffl es and lively arrests. If we re-dated the articles and changed the names, we could pass them off here and now in the present. How quickly people and generations forget. How little the patterns of daily life change. That scrapbook brought forth another thought: What a waste it is to live life worrying what others might think of our choices. Most likely they’ll notice for about a minute anyway. In the words of Gandalf, “All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.” And time, it passes too quickly anyway. —The Baker County Press Editorial Board — Letters to the Editor — Voting for Nichols To the Editor: I believe Bruce Nichols is well suited for the tasks of County Commissioner. His government and private business experience, coupled with fi scally conser- vative management, will serve the County well. Bruce views the Commissioner posi- tion as part of a team, a team striving to reach a common goal requiring thought- ful, researched discussion, evaluation of consequences and a long-term plan. . Bruce Nichols is fi fth generation Baker Co. resident and a life-long Republican, who graduated from Baker High. After an honorable discharge from the Air Force, Bruce obtained a Bachelor degree in busi- ness and economics from Eastern Or- egon State College, now Eastern Oregon University. In addition to the business and economics courses, Bruce in included a variety of agri-business classes which nearly led to a degree in agri-business. Bruce will be an asset to Baker County government because he is a Certifi ed Pub- lic Account with over 35 years of experi- ence in auditing, budgeting and managing. Bruce is a strong supporter of the Constitution, the second amendment, a member of the National Rifl e Association and Powder River Sportsman Club. Bruce feels his years of experience working with government agencies and land owners have given him insight that agriculture, mining, timber and tourism are the backbone of Eastern Oregon’s fragile economy. Baker County needs to expand its opportunities with start-up, small business and mid-sized manufactur- ing business. He will encourage County and City offi cials to eliminate unnecessary fees and restrictions on business, to help keep and establish a stronger small busi- ness economy and partner more effective- ly with agriculture and timber industries. He will strongly support continued partnering with regional high school and community college l education programs that are necessary to build a foundation of employable individuals. The education of our work force is critical to Baker County businesses, industries and the well-being of the hard-working citizens of our county. I encourage a vote for Bruce Nichols, a proven business man, to run the business of our county. Bob McKim Baker City Open Letter from Forest Supervisors To the Editor and Friends of the Blue Mountains: We are writing to share an update on the revision of the Blue Mountains Forest Plans, which will guide the management of approximately 5 million acres of the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests. To begin, we want to acknowledge those who have been involved in this Forest Plan Revision pro- cess: We have been encouraged by how much you value your public lands, and we thank you for helping to shape how we manage these National Forests on behalf of the American people. Over the past year, as part of a public re-engagement effort, we have visited with over 700 individuals in 24 public listening sessions held in communities across eastern Oregon, eastern Washing- ton, and western Idaho. Although we have heard differences of opinion about how to best manage these spectacular landscapes and ecosystems of the Blue Mountains, most agree that these National Forests should continue to be managed for the many uses and benefi ts they provide, both now and into the future. We found the input shared during the public re-engagement process to be very helpful, and we are using this input in a variety of ways. For example, the public listening sessions have brought additional context to the 2014 formal comments and have given us a better understanding of how different Alternatives may affect our diverse publics. In response, we are currently crafting two new Alternatives, which we will analyze in detail in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS): The fi rst Alternative will emphasize res- toration and has been informed by formal public comments, re-engagement input, and revised recommendations by Forest Service resource specialists. The second Alternative will build upon the fi rst. This Alternative would consider- ably increase the pace of forest restora- tion during the plan period (15 years) by moving a larger portion of the forested landscape toward the Desired Conditions – i.e., thinning densely forested stands, reducing fi re severity, and decreasing the risks posed by insects and diseases. We will provide public updates with new information as we develop these additional Alternatives and continue with the analysis of other Alternatives within the EIS. While we seek to be responsive to all of our diverse publics, any Alterna- tive we consider must be analyzed for compliance with federal laws, regulations, and policies governing National Forest management. Also keep in mind that the Forest Plan Revision is still a work in progress, and the deciding offi cer (the Regional Forester) has not made any fi nal decisions. What are the next steps? The fi nal products of this Forest Plan Revision process will include three separate For- est Plans – one for each of the Malheur, Umatilla, and Wallowa-Whitman National Forests. Before these Forest Plans can be fi nalized, we will consult with federal agencies on the Endangered Species Act and continue our government-to-govern- ment consultation with appropriate Ameri- can Indian Tribes. We will also continue to address questions and concerns from all of you who continue to be interested in the Blue Mountains Forest Plans. When the fi nal EIS, three revised Forest Plans, and three draft Records of Decision are ready, these documents will be available for pub- lic review for 60 days during the objection period. Individuals and entities that sub- mitted substantive formal comments (36 CFR 219.62) during the opportunities for public comment may fi le an objection (36 CFR 219.5) if they do not feel their issues were satisfactorily addressed. Once the objection process is fi nished, the Regional Forester will sign each Forest’s Record of Decision. In closing, we would like to express our appreciation for your involvement in the stewardship of your National Forests. We are committed to using the information you have provided to shape the revised Forest Plans. Over the coming months, we will strive to keep the lines of com- munication open through the sharing of information via email, mail, phone, and the web. Please refer to www.fs.usda.gov/ goto/BlueMountainsPlanRevision for the most up-to-date information, and if you have any questions, please email bluemtn- planrevision@fs.fed.us. Steve Beverlin Forest Supervisor, Malheur National Forest Genevieve Master Forest Supervisor, Umatilla National Forest Thomas Montoya Forest Supervisor, Wallowa-Whitman National Forest Editor’s Note: Word count restrictions were waived in this case, in order to bring the public the full text of this letter. — Guest Opinion — Pari material and federal agency coordination By Bill Harvey Special to The Baker County Press Professor Sutherland’s defi nitive work “Statutory Construction” states: “Statutes are considered ‘pari materia’ to pertain to the same subject-matter when they relate to the same person or thing, or the same class of persons or things, or have the same purpose and objec- tive. They may be independent or amendatory in form, they may be complete enactments dealing with a single, limited subject matter or sections of Code or revision; or they may be a combination of these.” Sutherland, “Statutory Construction” Section 5202. The Federal Land Policy Man- agement Act (FLPMA) and the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) are statutes in ‘pari ma- teria’ because they both set forth management processes, procedures and directives from Congress by which the Bureau of Land Manage- ment and the Forest Service must manage the public or federal lands, mostly rangelands for the BLM and Forests for the Forest Service. They represent enactments by the same Congress and they have the same “purpose and objective”, ie., effective, effi cient productive man- agement of the federal lands. Professor Sutherland and scores of supporting cases point out that when the legislature has defi ned a term, and then subsequently uses the term in another statute, it means the term to have the same Letter to the Editor Policy: The Baker County Press reserves the right not to pub- lish letters containing factual falsehoods or incoherent narrative. Letters promoting or detracting from specifi c for-profi t business- es will not be published. Word limit is 375 words per letter. Letters are limited to one every other week per author. Letters should be submitted to Editor@TheBakerCounty- Press.com. Advertising and Opinion Page Dis- claimer: Opinions submitted as Guest Submitted Photo Bill Harvey of Haines is chair of the Baker County Board of Commissioners. defi nition, unless it states specifi - cally otherwise. The United States Supreme Court has enunciated this principle on scores of occasions. Lead- ing cases are cited as supporting authorities for the statement made by Professor Sutherland. Congress undertook revision of the Forest Management Statutes at the same time it took up development of the Federal Land Policy Management Act. FLPMA was passed with the “coordination” defi nition, NFMA’s provisions as to “coordination” were passed as part of the Sustain- able Forest Act. There is nothing in the Sustainable Forest Act to indicate that Congress intended a different meaning for “coordinate” and/or “coordination” than what it provided in FLPMA. Both statutes deal with manage- ment of federal lands and natural resources, and neither shows any indication that Congress intended to apply one” coordination pro- cess” for the BLM and a different one for the Forest Service. The Statutes are in ‘pari materia’ and must be read consistently. In Short: Forest Service and BLM are under the same Rules. Opinions or Letters to the Editor express the opinions of their authors, and have not been authored by and are not necessarily the opinions of The Baker County Press, any of our staff, management, independent contractors or affi liates. Advertisements placed by political groups, candidates, businesses, etc., are printed as a paid service, which does not constitute an endorsement of or fulfi llment obligation by this newspaper for the products or services advertised. 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